Pieces of My Heart
by keilen
Summary: Roxas convinces Axel to run away to from the Organization. They escape to Destiny Islands and befriend the locals who accept them and give them shelter. M for Later
1. The escape, and the new home

**Pieces of my Heart  
by Jessica Cooper**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Kingdom Hearts I or II, it's owned by Squeenix (Square Enix). I own the story proceeding though and all the situations the characters go through.

This is my first KH fic, so go easy on me.

"Roxas! Why are you leaving the Organization?!" yelled Axel, the spiky haired, flaming red head. His long, black trench coat swished as his long legs carried him to the blond boy. 'Why are you leaving me?' He thought. Roxas' face looked startled as he was confronted by the older boy.

"I'm tired of sneaking around behind everyone's back! It's scary, and I don't want to wait around and get caught!" Roxas yelled back. His chest heaved under his black trench coat that matched Axel's. "You saw what Xemnas did to Mari and Larxene!" **(A/n. That's another story! That hasn't been written yet) **

Axel's green eyes looked over his little Roxas. His Roxas. The youngest member of Organization XIII. The Key of Destiny. When that thought passed through his head his lips pulled up in a smile and Roxas eyed him strangely. He started down at the Keyblade wielder fondly, until a loud yell from the boy snapped him out of it.

"What the hell are you smiling about? What made you so happy? Everything we do we have to tip-toe around, hide everything, live in near silence!" Roxas' voice rang through the alleyways as his stance turned defensive towards the tallest of the pair. A look of annoyance and anger passed over his features before he stepped towards Axel and relaxed his stance. Tears streaked down his face. "I'm sorry Axel. I shouldn't have yelled at you."

Axel's arms lay at his side for a brief moment, as his pale face lit up in shock. As Roxas cried into his shoulder, he wrapped his arms around him and his lips smiled.

"It's okay Roxas, Ssh." Axel cooed to him, "We're all frightened of Xemnas. It'll be okay!" The redhead picked up Roxas and carried him through the dark streets of the World That Never Was back to the Organization's Castle. By the time they returned to Roxas', room the sun was slowly beginning to peek over the horizon. Roxas murmured into Axel's shoulder, a series of intangible whines. This made Axel chuckle and then deposit his blond onto the bed in a less than graceful move.

Roxas rolled onto his stomach and cuddled into one of the many pillows situated on the king size bed. Axel sat on the floor beside the bed and waited for Roxas to fall asleep. His eyes scanned under the bed, just to check. He noticed a light brown, fuzzy lump pushed entirely against the wall.

His long fingers reached under the bed and wrapped around a plush hand. Axel pulled the mysterious object out and smiled brightly when he saw what it was.

It was a teddy bear with Roxas' name stitched into it's behind. Axel inwardly wondered why it wasn't on the bed with the boy, and then he remembered movie night.

**Begin Flashback**

Marluxia, Demyx, Axel, and Roxas all fell through the door into Roxas' room. The Organization boys were laughing about a joke when Axel, Demyx, and Mari started pulling off their trench coats and throwing them into a chair. Roxas jumped onto the bed and snatched up something from between the pillow, he hung off the other side until Demyx noticed him and pointed it out to the other two.

"Roxas!" mewed the guitar playing blond. "What are you dooooing?" Roxas jumped, startled by Demyx's loud voice, and promptly fell off the side of the bed.

"Ow!" Roxas' head popped up behind the bed and he glared at Demyx. "I uh... set a mouse trap, and thought I heard it snap. I was just checking it." Roxas breathed a sigh of relief as Demyx shrugged and continued disrobing. "So what movie are we watching tonight?"

Roxas stood up and removed his trench coat just as the other boys had gotten down to t-shirts and boxers. Once his long-sleeved, black shirt was removed, and he stood in jeans and a t-shirt while other guys started pulling out extra blankets from the closet.

The one Axel wanted was stuck in the back of the closet so he bent over and started tugging at it. He was starting to get frustrated and Demyx and Mari could tell by the steam coming out of his ears. They scampered to the other side of the bed and hid behind Roxas. Axel tugged and tugged on the green material until it started to come loose.

Roxas looked up to see Axel coming out of the closet in triumph. Roxas tossed his pants to the ground and jumped onto the bed leaving Demyx and Mari standing there arguing with each other about the movie they would be viewing tonight.

"Axel, you have serious issues and I think you should see a counselor." Axel smiled brightly before spreading the blanket out on the floor; he folded it over and over until it was comfortable enough to sleep on.

**End Flashback**

Axel smiled and stood up with the bear in his hand. He looked down at a sleeping Roxas and leaned over placing the stuffed thing right next to him. A sigh escaped his lips and he turned his back on Roxas and headed to the door. If Xemnas caught Axel in here this late at night he'd be punished. His punishment would be to spend a few weeks in the castle's dungeon.

Axel opened the door and peered into the hallway making sure it was clear before he made the sprint to his room on the opposite side of the hallway. Seeing that is was clear he took off like a bat out of hell, his trench coat billowing behind him like a cape. He reached his room; he pulled off the coat and fell onto the bed with a heavy sigh. He fell asleep thinking about the many ways he could tell the Superior about Roxas and himself.

**Next Morning**

"AXEL!!! WAKE UP!!" The blond pounced onto the bed of the redhead and jumped up and down trying to wake his friend. His mission was futile. Axel lay there like a zombie, a snore emanating from him occasionally. "Aww, come on Axel. I've got a great idea!" This seemed to get Axel's attention. He was a sucker for ideas and plans, and when Roxas had an idea, he had a plan.

The redhead mumbled and rubbed his eyes until he was awake enough to give Roxas some attention. He sat up on his pillows and looked up at the boy. "Sit down. What's this big idea?"

"Let's run away! Let's find the islands Xemnas was talking about." Roxas spoke quickly in his animated, excited state. Axel just sat up and stared at him as he continued talking about running away. Roxas said that his bags were already packed from before and that he would help Axel pack if he wanted the help. Axel just shook his head and as he stood up off the bed and headed towards the bathroom. He bent over the sink and splashed some cold water on his face.

"What do you think Axel? You wanna do it?" He asked as he turned and looked into the bathroom where the redhead stood. Axel looked tense under his black shirt; he turned around and walked closer to Roxas. Axel leaned against the door of the bathroom and let his green eyes wander the bare room.

A lonely desk sat in the corner. It was scattered with papers and books that he had been reading. A few spaces away from the desk was a shelf, packed with books and few movies. A television sat on the floor, and some clothes were scattered around, giving the room the appearance that a normal teenaged boy lived in it. Instead, it belonged to a Nobody. One without a heart. Axel looked at Roxas giving him his infamous smirk.

"Know what Roxas? Let's do it. Let's get outta here." Axel nodded as he walked to where he threw his coat off. He pulled it on and plopped down on the bed. Roxas' eyes lit up as he bounced a little on the bed. "There's nothing here for us. Nothing that we want anyways." said Roxas as he flew off the bed and into Axel's closet. He found a suitcase and opened it, and began throwing in some of Axel's clothes.

"This is so great! We're getting out of here!!! And never coming back." Soon the suitcase was spilling clothes out onto the floor. Axel quickly stood up and pulled Roxas out of the closet. He made the youngest member of the Organization sit down on the bed while he fixed the suitcase with proper clothes and necessities.

"Yeah. But if you aren't quiet, Larxene or Marluxia will here us and go tell Xemnas." That shut Roxas up real quick. Axel soon finished packing his suitcase, and retrieved a duffel bag from under the bed. He threw some of his favorite books and movies, little things he wanted, into it. "Roxas, go get your bag and meet me at the Alley to Between."

Roxas nodded and pounced off of the bed. He ran to the door and flung it open, into the hallway and off down it to his room. Soon he arrived with his bag, and similar duffel bag full of things he wanted but didn't necessarily need.

He peeked into Axel's room to make sure he was gone. He was, so Roxas set off towards the entrance. He kept his eyes peeled for Xemnas or any of the Members loyal to him. He was alone until he got into the Alley's directly outside the castle. Demyx was leaning against a wall, partly concealed by shadows.

"So Roxas, you've finally got up the nerve to leave." The blond musician stepped out of the shadows and walked up to Roxas. "I won't tell, for a while. I'll give you a day or so head start. Then Xemnas will find out, and come to probe everyone." Demyx sighed. "Is Axel going with you? He walked by a while ago, but didn't have any bags."

Roxas stared at Demyx, his light eyes looking at bit sad. He hadn't realized he would be leaving all his great friends behind. Maybe one day they too would be free of the Organization.

"I'm sorry Demyx. One day I'll come back and visit. Will you... tell Naminé I said goodbye? She should know where we're going." Roxas turned his back on Demyx and took a few steps down the alley. "Bye Demyx." Roxas flung his bag over his shoulder, clenching the suitcase handle tight in his hand.

He took off running then. He didn't want Demyx to see his eyes begin watering. He soon slowed to a walk and saw Axel waiting in the distance. A smile lit up his face and he took off running again. Axel's bag lay at his feet and once he caught sight of Roxas he picked them up and moved a few steps to the right.

"Let's go! I'd rather not wait around here much longer. Surely Xemnas has noticed we're missing by now." Roxas nodded and came to a halt in front of the dark portal leading to the mansion basement in Twilight Town.

"Here we go Axel, this is so exciting." Roxas took a deep breath and then took Axel's hand. "Let's go." Axel nodded and they both stepped through the darkness, away from the World That Never Was, and away from the life they lived because they had to. Soon they were off, out of Twilight Town, and on their way to the Destiny Islands.

They soon had to shed their coats and t-shirts because the sun was shining high above their heads. The boat they had found soared along on the current and they soon had the Islands in sight. Roxas let out a whoop of joy and almost caused the boat to turn over.

"Roxas, sit down, I'd rather not find out what kind of fish live in these waters." Axel leaned back and soaked up the sun. He knew he wouldn't tan, or burn, that's why his flesh stayed so pale. Roxas grinned and found a paddle. He steered the boat toward the Islands, and soon they were docked by a port. Axel sat up and threw all the bags onto the wooden dock while Roxas tied the boat down.

Some of the local teens came up and looked at the newcomers. Roxas smiled brightly and asked if there was anyplace they could stay... for a long time. A young girl about 16 introduced herself as Selphie and got the two boys who were with her to introduce them as well. The taller one with orange colored hair was called Wakka, and the shorter blond was Tidus.

Axel and Roxas grabbed their respective bags and followed the chattering Selphie as she took them to a tree house way far up on the Island, explaining that it had been vacant for a while. The boy who used to live here had to move back to the main island. Roxas and Axel thanked the girl, and told her that they had traveled a really long way and would like to lie down.

She left them in silence; they looked around the little house and saw only one bed, and a small kitchen area. There was a green rug on the floor, which reminded Axel of...

"OH NO!!!! I left my blanket!" **A/n it WAS in Roxas' room but it IS Axel's blankeh.** He said out loud. Roxas smiled some and opened his suitcase. Axel was tearing up as Roxas tugged out a thick, green material.

"Axeeeeeeeeeeeel!" Roxas threw the blanket over his head and Axel squealed in delight.

Finally they had everything they needed. They were free.

**The End**


	2. Unexpected Visitors

**Chapter Two**

Roxas and Axel stood on the beach watching the waves come in and go out. They thought about sitting down but the prospect of sand in their shorts wasn't sounding that great. Roxas shyly snuck a peek at Axel as he stood there without a shirt staring into the sunset. He blushed severely and turned his head away from the older boy.

'Why does he make me blush like this?' he thought. Out loud he said "Axel I'm going to head back to the tree house. 'Kay?" Roxas stretched his arms above his head like he was getting tired and took a few steps back. Axel just nodded and squatted down to look into the sand. 'He looks so sad.' Was Roxas' last thought before he turned on his heel and ran up the beach to the small pond of fresh water that the other two teenage boys lazed around.

"Hey, Roxas man! How ya doin' today?" the oldest member of the crew on the island stared up at the blond while trying to block the last bright rays of the sun from blinding him. Roxas plopped down beside Wakka and let his bare feet dangle into the pond. He sighed heavily and looked at the orange haired teen.

"Wakka… "Roxas began, "Have you ever been in love?" he questioned him shyly. He'd never had to ask something so personal. Wakka laughed from deep in his chest, his eyes sparkled as he looked at the boy like he knew his secret.

"Ya man! There's a girl in Traverse Town I've been dating for a while! I think she's the one ya?" Wakka was suddenly serious, his face turned down to the water. "I don't think she likes me as much ya know? She's always so bad-tempered with me." Wakka then looked up at Roxas and grinned, "But one of these days ya!? I'll find out what's with her. But this isn't about me and Lulu. Who you crushin' on?"

Roxas stared at the older of the two and whined. He stood up and pouted. "It's no one. I just don't know how to… approach them." Wakka nodded like he understood the feeling.

"Ya man! I understand that feeling, why don't you go talk to Tidus? He's dating that Yuna girl and they're pretty serious!" Wakka laughed again as he stood up and took off for the other side of the island where his hut was set up. "I'll see you tomorrow, ya!" Roxas stuck out his tongue at the fading back of the orange haired teen.

Roxas wondered where Tidus would be about this time of day. Probably off practicing with a wooden sword or something. He decided to check the secret hide-out he and Axel had found on their third day on the island. He took a left around the pool of water and walked straight a few feet.

The entrance was blocked pretty well by the spray of the waterfall that fell into the pool of water, but Roxas and Axel had placed some creeping ivy over it that grew down to cover it. The blond pushed this aside and ducked his head as he headed into the long tunnel. He immediately felt soothed by the chilled temperatures of the cave, and he welcomed it.

He soon reached the end of the dark tunnel and came out into a rounded cave, the larger rocks sitting on the ground were covered in chalky drawings that had been there before Axel and Roxas had discovered the place. The blond loved to look at these things; he made up stories that went along with the pictures. There were always two people in the drawings; they looked like a boy and a girl. Sometimes there was another boy, with spiky hair from the looks of it.

Roxas wondered who they really were, but sometimes he felt like he knew, like he was the boy in the drawings. He knew it was impossible but he still felt like it was Axel, Naminé, and himself. Roxas smiled at his thoughts and then plopped down in the middle of the circular room.

"I wonder why Axel is so sad; I wish I could make him happy." The blond smiled some and then turned his head to look at one of the newer drawings on the rock. Axel and Roxas had taken the liberty of adding themselves the vast array of art. Roxas turned and spoke to the sketching of Axel, "Why can't I make you happy?"

Axel stood with his shoulder pressed to the cold, cave wall and listened to Roxas speak to himself. His flaming red hair stood on end as his lips fell downward into a frown at hearing Roxas' words.

"I'm sorry I make you unhappy Axel." Roxas spoke once again to the drawing. Tears pricked at Axel's green eyes as he stepped forward into the mysterious light of the cave.

"Roxas," he spoke quietly, the boy was still startled "You don't make me unhappy, never think that." The red head sat down next to Roxas and pulled him into his arms. A tear rolled down Axel's pale cheek and dropped into Roxas' blond hair. "You make me so happy, and I'm so glad to be here with you." Roxas smiled at his words and cuddled into him.

The sun was sinking over the horizon and the boys could feel the effects that it was giving on the night air. A breeze swept through the cave, and it smelled odd to the boys. They both sat up suddenly alert, a twig popped right outside the cave entrance and that sent the boys to their feet. Taking a signal from each other they dove behind two large boulders littering the caves as footsteps filled the cave.

Not just one set of feet either, there were at least three people making their way down the tunnel into the cave. A light shone inside first, and then two boys and a short female came through the entrance. The apparent leader of the group was a tall boy with spiked, brown hair. His clothing was an odd array of zippers and buckles, and it was a mix of red, blue, black, silver, and gold. The middle person in the line was the short girl. Her hair was a red not unlike Axel's, but a few shades lighter, it was straight and fell around her shoulders. She had a pink outfit that suited her complexion well. The tallest boy of the group was a silver haired, blue wearing boy. He watched over the girl protectively from behind as the front boy did from the front.

They stepped into the middle of the cave and looked around at what the light shone on.

"It's been so long since we've been here." The brunette remarked with a hint of sadness in his voice. He turned to the other two, "There are new drawings here, and Selphie said two boys moved into our old place Riku."

The silver haired boy chuckled. He sat down on the cold floor and looked around; he smiled up at the redhead named Kairi. "I can't believe how much this place has changed. It's like we've been gone for years and years when it's only been over one." He swept some of the silver hair out of his eyes and grinned.

"Let's get out of here you guys; you know I don't like it when it's dark." Kairi remarked as a shiver went through her small frame. Riku hopped up from his seat and took one more look around before draping his arm around Kairi's shoulders and turning her down the tunnel. Sora followed the other two, the lamp clutched tightly in his fingers. The little hairs on his neck stood up and he spun around keyblade in hand instantly.

Axel moved to come out from his hiding place and his foot kicked one of the many pebbles lying around the place. He swore and ducked back down behind the boulder.

Sora spun around, he set the lamp down on the rock floor quietly and instantly the keyblade was in his hand.

"Who's there?" He demanded. The light from the keyblade lit up the cave, Sora watched for any sign of movement, and for shadows. "Come out!" He took a few steps into the cave when Roxas stepped out from behind the boulder with both his hands in the air.

"No harm, 'kay?" He spoke quietly to the boy who looked like him. He was surprised at seeing another keyblade so soon after his escape from the Organization. "We're the two guys you were talking about." Sora looked around for his companion; he had said 'the two guys'. Axel stepped out of his hiding place with a cheeky grin.

"Hey there," he grinned even bigger at the sight of the keyblade. "He's right. No harm." Sora lowered his keyblade at the signs of friendliness and nodded.

"Sorry. I have reasons to be cautious." The other two boys nodded and lowered their arms. "Come on out of the cave then, let's head to the beach and have a little chat." Roxas and Axel nodded and followed him through the tunnel.

The group of boys met Riku and Kairi at the entrance; they had just noticed that Sora hadn't followed them out of the cave. Riku eyed Roxas and Axel with wonder.

"Who are they? Where were they?" He asked and listened to the explanation Sora provided. They looked as if they got the story and they welcomed Axel and Roxas to Destiny Islands. How they could be welcoming them was a mystery to the boys, after all, hadn't Axel and Roxas been there first?

According to the drawings, they hadn't. Instead of the beach the small group decided to go into the tree house that now belonged to Axel and Roxas. Riku stared amazed at the difference in décor. When he and Sora lived there it was a mass of toys, and comic books. Now, a few pieces of clothes scattered the floor, and a couple novels sat on a desk in the corner of the room. It looked as if a couple of rooms had been added on into the back. There was an unmade bed against the far wall underneath a window that was covered by a curtain made of blue cotton.

Riku plopped down on the wooden floor that had been covered in a rug. Kairi sat down on the edge of the chair in front of the desk, and Sora leaned against the wall nearest the door. Axel and Roxas took a seat on the bed in the room.

"So who exactly are you guys?" Roxas asked once they had all settled down. He looked them over curiously; he could see them better in this light. The keyblade Sora had had vanished completely, but the shine from the weapon stayed. This time Kairi spoke up from her chair:

"We used to live here, but some things happened and we had to leave for a while." Her voice was quiet, as if she was afraid to speak too loudly. Her fingers were clenched into tight fists and they rested in her lap. Roxas frowned at her feeling so unsafe on the little island. He hadn't seen any Heartless since his escape from the Organization, and he had only seen one Nobody. It wasn't even a high up Nobody; it was merely a Dusk, one of the lowest forms.

Axel looked back at Roxas and frowned, he had noticed her unease too. "Were you guys… chased here? You seem a bit uncomfortable." Axel spoke quietly. He leaned back on the bed using the palms of his hands to support his weight. His dark green eyes watched the trio suspiciously.

Sora's head jerked up and stared at Axel. "How could you know something like that? Did you see someone?" He turned and looked out the door and seeing it was clear he ducked back in. "Yeah, we think we were followed but we're not sure who's doing the following." Roxas and Axel nodded, they figured as much.

'What if the Organization's chasing them? They'll want another keyblade wielder after I've left.' Roxas sighed and stood up. "I think I know who's chasing you." He looked at Axel, gesturing him to go to the backroom. "We'll be right back." The group of newcomers nodded and began to talk quietly amongst themselves. Axel and Roxas walked into the back room and pulled a curtain down to cover them.

"You're thinking its Xemmy aren't you?" Axel spoke quietly. Roxas sighed and answered the taller with a nod. He opened a trunk that sat in the corner of the room; he ruffled through it and pulled out his old Organization XIII trench coat. "Well, what are we gonna do?" Axel's voice was still quiet, and had a hint of nervousness in it.

Roxas hung the coat over his shoulder and turned to go back into the first area.

"We've got to tell them." He turned and looked at Axel. "If they're in trouble with the Organization, they might need help. They might need two runaway members who know the others. If they need into the castle they might need two members who know it inside and out," He grinned. "This is going to be Xemnas' payback for messing around with everyone all these years.

Axel smiled, he had taught Roxas well. He moved forward and held the curtains open for Roxas to proceed into the living area. Sora, Kairi, and Riku were sitting where they were before the boys left. Axel moved over and plopped down onto the sofa.

"Alright. We think the guys chasing you are from a group called Organization XIII." The visitors looked up and stared at Roxas at the recognition of the name. "I know what you're thinking. We're spies, placed strategically for you, but that's not it at all. We, that is, Axel and I escaped the Organization and ended up here after endless searching." Axel joined in as Sora and the gang listened intently.

"The head of this group is a big guy named Xemnas. He's awfully powerful and has an extremely short temper. I wouldn't mess around with him if I were you." Axel pulled up a sleeve of black shirt and revealed a scar running down the outside of this arm. "He'll hurt you."

"What can we do?! He's got those awful Nobodies following us, and on top of that Maleficent has hundreds of Heartless prowling all over the worlds. We only narrowly got back to this Island!" Riku's outburst startled Roxas who dropped the coat he had. He bent down to pick it up and then deposited it onto the bed next to Axel.

"Do you have a plan at all? Are you willing to infiltrate the Castle where they live? Are you willing to put your lives on the line to save the people he's hurting?" Axel had stood up, he was taller than everyone in the room and he was imposing. His green eyes lit up with a flare Roxas had never seen before, it worried him a little.

Sora stepped forward. "We are! Well, Riku and I are, Kairi has to stay here its too dangerous for her to fight." Kairi hit him on the arm and her nostrils flared in anger.

"There is no way I'm staying behind and letting you two go gallivanting off on an adventure! You promised me Sora! You promised I could go with you the next time!" Her voice was loud and mean, but softened, "He's hurting people I love too." Sora sighed. There was no way he could win this argument. The group then made plans for Roxas and Axel to infiltrate the castle, while the other three snuck in through a side entrance only the rebel members knew about. They soon departed from the island on a small fishing boat that would seem inconspicuous with so many travellers.

Sora and Riku rowed the boat to a spot a few miles away from the island where Donald and Goofy were waiting with the gummi ship. Axel and Roxas stared on in surprise, they'd never seen a ship so big. The trio boarded it with Goofy and Donald welcoming them happily, but when they saw the extra two they glared angrily. Roxas and Axel had already donned their uniforms.

"Where did they come from!?" Donald squawked as they climbed aboard the ship. Sora ushered Donald into the cockpit and explained everything while Goofy made friends with them.

Soon they were off travelling through the stars heading for the World That Never Was.


End file.
